I need some help with this poem. I think that Dickinson is comparing beauty and truth. I would think that dying for truth would be a good thing, while dying for beauty wouldn't be so good, but Dickinson says that they are "one." I get the impression that she is saying beauty and truth scarcely matter at all! But how can truth not matter? Two people died for beauty and truth, yet both names ended up being covered up anyways. The moss didn't think about who died for what, it grew regardless. Perhaps Dickinson is saying that we leave nothing behind when we die. Therefore, we must make an impact on others while we are living so that we can live on even after our names get covered up with moss. If we don't, maybe we have "failed" in Dickinson's eyes. I'm not sure. Any other ideas? Is dying for truth a bad thing? beauty? Help! - KGa-c Mar 13, 2008
I can't be positive KGa, but I wouldn't say that this poem is a comparison between truth and beauty. I think that perhaps the truth and the beauty could have been one. Both failed because they both ended up dead. The moss grew to show that beauty and truth were being covered up. Once the moss covered their lips they could no longer be heard, but they could not longer be seen either(it is moss after all), and they could not be felt under the moss. Basically, they were almost destroyed. Covered up, lost to the present world. Perhaps this poem is a response from Emily Dickinson to her world at the time. I don't see where you got the impression that truth and beauty are meaningless. I only gather the idea that they are lost. They tried to live, but died. They tried to talk from the room, but were covered up. They're gone to us =( - PMi-c Mar 13, 2008
I likewise am only giving my opinion, but I do think that Dickinson was saying that beauty and truth are the same, using a reference to a Yeats's poem Ode on a Grecian Urn, which ends with
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'
The connection to the earth is also clearly seen in Dickinson's poem, with the earth covering them in their graves and moss covering their lips (so that they cannot speak) and their names (so they will no longer be remembered). Even for all this reference to death, they seem accepting of it. They are like martyrs for their cause of beauty and truth, but are content with their place. I found the connection between beauty and truth to be a profound one. For aren't the beautiful things in life full of truth and isn't the truth a beautiful thing? I don't think she's saying that they are meaningless or gone, but that those two who have fought for them are gone. - AHa-c Mar 13, 2008
I don't know if this is just splitting hairs, but I don't think that Beauty and Truth themselves died; rather, people died for them. These people in the Tomb died for these ideas, the ideas themselves didn't die.
I don't know if there is any foundation in this, but when I first read the poem I thought that the one who died for Truth might have been a reference to Jesus. I think it was the words that Dickenson decided to capitalize that made me think this--Tomb, One, Truth, Brethren. I don't know if that theory really holds water when it comes to the last stanza seeing how the name of Jesus hasn't been lost under moss, it is definately recognized that Jesus lived. However, there has been a loss of belief in Him in our society as a whole, and there are even those who don't believe He was the Messiah at all. If truth was a reference to Jesus, I thought that Beauty would be a reference to anyone who died for a cause or belief. Those who died found beauty it what they were defending and were then greated by Jesus. Maybe I'm just making these connections to Christ because it's nearly Holy Week, but did anyone see a connection like this too? Or think I'm completely off my rocker? - adi-c Mar 13, 2008
Maybe it's because I'm a Catholic, but any time I hear the word "tomb" I think of Jesus. But that's just because it's been engrained in my mind. I'm just trying to think who would be Beauty in this scenario if Jesus was Truth. Was/Is the rest of society Beauty? Has it died? I wasn't so concerned with whether or not Truth or Beauty were one, I gathered that in the beginning. Rather I questioned why Truth and Beauty died. Has society "killed" them? Does society not hold any truth or beauty? Now that the moss has covered up their mouths and their names, will we remember them? Do we have to go looking for them? What kind of society would kill Truth and Beauty? Even though this was written a while ago, could we apply it to our society? - szd-c Mar 13, 2008
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I can't be positive KGa, but I wouldn't say that this poem is a comparison between truth and beauty. I think that perhaps the truth and the beauty could have been one. Both failed because they both ended up dead. The moss grew to show that beauty and truth were being covered up. Once the moss covered their lips they could no longer be heard, but they could not longer be seen either(it is moss after all), and they could not be felt under the moss. Basically, they were almost destroyed. Covered up, lost to the present world. Perhaps this poem is a response from Emily Dickinson to her world at the time. I don't see where you got the impression that truth and beauty are meaningless. I only gather the idea that they are lost. They tried to live, but died. They tried to talk from the room, but were covered up. They're gone to us =( -
I likewise am only giving my opinion, but I do think that Dickinson was saying that beauty and truth are the same, using a reference to a Yeats's poem Ode on a Grecian Urn, which ends with
I don't know if this is just splitting hairs, but I don't think that Beauty and Truth themselves died; rather, people died for them. These people in the Tomb died for these ideas, the ideas themselves didn't die.
I don't know if there is any foundation in this, but when I first read the poem I thought that the one who died for Truth might have been a reference to Jesus. I think it was the words that Dickenson decided to capitalize that made me think this--Tomb, One, Truth, Brethren. I don't know if that theory really holds water when it comes to the last stanza seeing how the name of Jesus hasn't been lost under moss, it is definately recognized that Jesus lived. However, there has been a loss of belief in Him in our society as a whole, and there are even those who don't believe He was the Messiah at all. If truth was a reference to Jesus, I thought that Beauty would be a reference to anyone who died for a cause or belief. Those who died found beauty it what they were defending and were then greated by Jesus. Maybe I'm just making these connections to Christ because it's nearly Holy Week, but did anyone see a connection like this too? Or think I'm completely off my rocker?
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Maybe it's because I'm a Catholic, but any time I hear the word "tomb" I think of Jesus. But that's just because it's been engrained in my mind. I'm just trying to think who would be Beauty in this scenario if Jesus was Truth. Was/Is the rest of society Beauty? Has it died? I wasn't so concerned with whether or not Truth or Beauty were one, I gathered that in the beginning. Rather I questioned why Truth and Beauty died. Has society "killed" them? Does society not hold any truth or beauty? Now that the moss has covered up their mouths and their names, will we remember them? Do we have to go looking for them? What kind of society would kill Truth and Beauty? Even though this was written a while ago, could we apply it to our society?
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